City within the City - Interview with Beso Jikurauli, General Director of AS Georgia-Dirsi

The FINANCIAL -- The company “AS Group Investment” has been operating in the construction industry for over 15 years. The company has launched up to 40 successful projects on both local and regional markets.

Georgia is one of the major investment countries for the Azerbaijani company, in which it has invested 200 million dollars over 7 years.

Investments have included the first completed stage of Tbilisi’s largest building project - the Dirsi residential complex. The project consists of five stages, and by the end, the total investment will exceed 1.5 billion.

The FINANCIAL interviewed Beso Jikurauli, General Director of AS Georgia-Dirsi, about one of the largest projects and investments ever implemented in one of Tbilisi’s districts.

The year 2018 for Dirsi

“2018 has been more active compared to last year. We have improved communication with the target market, and as a result of this we have increased sales. In 2018, according to the statistics, every fourth visitor buys a flat, which is a very good result and a figure we are trying to maintain and improve. We think it is necessary to better understand the target audience, who we are and what the infrastructure is like on our territory, so that there is more emphasis on sports-recreational life; healthy lifestyle; there are lots of places to work out; walking paths; children’s playgrounds. This has a positive influence and in 2018 we made quite good progress, we have been gaining many new residents: most of them being young families with 1 to 2 children.”

Future projects

“This year we have processed a new project, which is very important not only for us but for the whole of Tbilisi as a city. This is the construction of 8 hectares of a European park and boulevard, where more than 5000 trees will be planted. A 2 km boulevard will be built on the river Mtkvari coast, where open cafés, biking and commercial objects will be located. The name of the project is “City within the City”. An important ecological zone will be created not only for the residents of Dirsi, but for all of the city’s residents. The building site for the project is planned to start from next year. No one from a private company has endeavoured to build such a grand park in recent times - so this is something for us to be proud of. Throughout this process we will be collaborating with Tbilisi City Hall, City Council and we hope such a precedent will be exemplary for our colleagues, all together we will create desirable, green, healthy environment for our future and this will be a really important occasion for Tbilisi.”

Difference

“One of the most important factors in the implementation of our investment in the part of the strategy is that we have chosen no targeted constructions in Tbilisi but complex construction.

AS Georgia was one of the first companies in Tbilisi to have started a complex construction. This means that we have built a living complex where full infrastructure is provided: sports infrastructure for healthy living; wide pedestrian, car-free zones; a kindergarten; school; learning resource centre; business centre; shopping centre; supermarkets; easy parking areas; both underground and above ground. This is the main difference; we have designed an entire self-sufficient territory to live on.”

Urban development

“Our territory is spread over 47 hectares, and is a 10 minute drive from Tbilisi’s centre. We are going to build the district and a huge complex, where no less than 30 000 people will live, which means that we will be creating an entirely new district that will employ lots of people.”

“Previously there was a construction landfill site that had sat filled with construction waste for decades. Approximately 10 million dollars was spent on the clear up of this waste. The complex is being built on a rocky surface with high quality construction materials, 80% of the walls are monolithic, which provides its own form of particular strength.Consequently, we think that apart from the fact that we have built a complex that will be very prestigious in the future, we have also helped save Tbilisi from what was an impending ecological catastrophe.”

“We are creating the best environmental conditions for living in the historical “Dirsichala” district of Tbilisi - which is where the name Dirsi comes from. The ecologically healthy district, is very close (just 5 km) from the city centre, Freedom Square, and 7 km from Tbilisi airport. The district is characterized by unique urban planning, there are large spaces between buildings, safe yards. Everything is adapted for the needs of people with disabilities.

From the following year, according to a new project, apart from a number of commercial facilities, numbers of startup-businesses will join our city that is fully in the framework of the company’s social responsibility to promote small entrepreneurs in Georgia”.